[Intro]
Yeah — this one’s for Mercedes
For the face that kept circlin’ my nights like a smoke alarm
For the ghost I learned to see clear when the light came on
[Verse 1]
She had a beautiful face, black hair like midnight silk
Leather jacket, ripped boots, cigarette ash on the quilt
Smile like a headline, eyes that cut through the smoke
We danced in the kitchen to our slow song, floorboards spoke
There was a jacket thrown on the chair and a laugh in the sink
Neon through the blinds, two mugs, the world on the brink
I remember the way she’d hum while she braided her hair
How the corner of her mouth bent—like a dare
I kept score with my pride, let my temper be the tide
Jealous nights, cold fights, lied more than I tried
I ruined him — I mean me — with a fistful of doubts
Talking over promises, pulling the truth inside out
Late calls, numb falls, I traded warmth for that roar
Pushed her away faster than I ever closed the door
[Chorus]
Mercedes, you’re a ghost, you kept me up at night
Shadow on my chest — now I’m steppin’ into light
Mercedes, you’re a ghost, echo in my veins
You taught me how to bleed, how to untie my chains
Mercedes, you’re a ghost, you kept me up at night
Shadow on my chest — now I’m steppin’ into light
[Verse 2]
There was the night we screamed over a song on the radio
You said my name like a blade, then left your jacket on the floor
Glass on the counter, the city hummed under the pane
You left like winter leaving storms, but you left all the rain
I saw your silhouette crossing the hall, suitcase by the bed
You didn’t slam the door — you just folded up the thread
First mornings after were heavy with the taste of regret
I replayed every sharp thing I said, every cigarette
I was the architect of my own collapse, blueprint of blame
Calling out love while I set fires and watched them tame
I took the clock from our wall and smashed it with my hands
Timed every apology like an alibi in a band
You walked slow through the doorway, I packed plastic and pain
Told myself this wasn’t breaking — it was finally a change
[Bridge]
Packed a bag at three, with a hoodie and a lighter
Left the keys on the counter, left the habit of the fighter
Woke up sober at dawn — the sheets had my name back on them
No lipstick on the collar, no storms to drag me under
First clean cup of coffee, sunlight rimmed like a promise
The ghost in the corner shrank when I found my honest
I put on shoes that fit my feet, not the ones I used to borrow
Took the map off the fridge, stopped planning for tomorrow's sorrow
[Chorus]
Mercedes, you’re a ghost, you kept me up at night
Shadow on my chest — now I’m steppin’ into light
Mercedes, you’re a ghost, echo in my veins
You taught me how to bleed, how to untie my chains
Mercedes, you’re a ghost, you kept me up at night
Shadow on my chest — now I’m steppin’ into light
[Verse 3 — Rap Flow]
I lace lines with the lessons, internal rhymes like stitches
No more midnight promises that snap like brittle pitches
I own the chapters where I wrec
